Progressive jam act Aqueous concluded 2018 with a two-show New Year’s Run in their hometown of Buffalo. Aqueous had many surprises in store including a bevy of bust outs and debuts.
The run started on December 30 with an intimate show for VIPs at Nietzsche’s in which Aqueous treated fans to a complete performance of their debut album ay-kwee-us that included the first “Dave’s Song” with ending since March 23, 2018, the return of “Falling” after 210 shows, a rare full band Pioneer (last played January 18, 2013 by the full band) and the return of “Mind Games” following 87 shows on the shelf. Aqueous led off the second set by dusting off a cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” for the first time since September 7, 2014. Next up was “Second Sight,” the return of “Doctor Brox” (last played December 3, 2015) and “Complex Pt. 1.” From there, “Warren In The Window” gave way to the first cover of “Pure Imagination” since February 19, 2014, while “Coyote Run” emerged after a 503 show hiatus. “Don’t Do It” and “King For A Day” ended the second set before an encore of a drum solo and the band’s first cover of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” since September 13, 2014.
New Year’s Eve at Town Ballroom featured a bevy of more recent material with a few covers and bust outs thrown in for good measure. The Aqueous debut of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” followed “Random Company” and “Realize Your Light.” The end of the first set was a massive sequence that began with “Split The Difference” and included “Skyway,” “Eon Don” and “Timmy’s Blades.” Aqueous kicked off the second set with “Strange Times” and “Weight Of The Word” before jamming “How High You Fly” into the “Origami” that ended 2018. The traditional “Auld Lang Syne” led into a debut cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’.” After “Aldehyde” ended the second set, Aqueous encored with the debut of “In It (For Me)” from 2018’s Color Wheel LP and their first take on The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” since February 26, 2014.
December 30
SET 1: Dave’s Song1, Mice, Uncle Phil’s Parachute2, Falling3 > The Pioneer4 > Mind Games5
SET 2: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band6 7 > Second Sight > Doctor Brox8 > Complex Pt. I, Warren in the Window9, Pure Imagination@@, Coyote Run@@@ > Don’t Do It@@@@ > King for a Day
ENCORE: Rob Drum Solo, Echoes@@@@@
- 1 W/ ending, last time ending played: 3/23/17 (167 shows)
- 2 Aerials (System of a Down) full band quote
- 3 W/ intro BUSTOUT: LTP 10/13/16 (210 shows)
- 4 BUSTOUT: LTP 8/25/17 (122 shows); last full band Pioneer 1/18/13
- 5 BUSTOUT: LTP 12/9/2017 (87 shows)
- 6 BUSTOUT: LTP 9/7/14 (417 shows)
- 7 Fuck Your Mom, Fuck Your Dad full band tease
- 8 BUSTOUT: LTP 12/3/15 (303 shows)
- 9 Let’s Go Buffalo chant and Maze quotes before song started
- @@ BUSTOUT: LTP 2/19/14 (513 shows)
- @@@ BUSTOUT: LTP 3/20/14 (503 shows)
- @@@@ Hella Good (No Doubt) full band quote
- @@@@@ BUSTOUT: LTP 9/13/14 (449 shows)
- The first set was a full play of the band’s first album “ay-kwee-us,” fitting the show’s general throwback theme.
December 31
SET 1: Random Company, Realize Your Light, The Boys Are Back In Town1, Split The Difference > Skyway > Eon Don2 3 > Timmy’s Blades > Eon Don
SET 2: Strange Times4, Weight of the Word, How High You Fly > Origami > Auld Lang Syne > Truckin’5 > Aldehyde
ENCORE: In It (For Me)6 > Hey Jude7
- 1 Debut, Thin Lizzy cover
- 2 BUSTOUT: LTP 7/2/17 (137 shows), funky version
- 3 Xxsplosive (Dr. Dre) tease
- 4 Jurassic Park Theme (John Williams) tease
- 5 Debut, Grateful Dead cover
- 6 Live Debut
- 7 BUSTOUT: LTP 2/26/14 (511 shows)
